Category: Character Archetypes

Once again, in addition to character archetype this week, I’ve also included an allusion. This time it’s to the patter song “Modern Major General” from The Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert & Sullivan. This song is a great example of irony – one would expect the major general to be well versed in military tactics, … More No. 10: Educated Stupidity

Another character archetype for you: the friendly beast. These are animals who help the hero along on his quest. The also demonstrate that Nature (capital N) has the hero’s back. I wanted to include Donkey from Shrek saying, “I’m making waffles,” but my Donkey looked like… well, let’s just say it was awful and leave it … More No. 9: Furry Friends

Here’s another character archetype for you: the friend that becomes an enemy (or the enemy who becomes a friend). This one is pretty straightforward. At some point, someone the hero thought they knew betrays them. OR, at some point, someone the hero thought they knew actually helps the hero out. Rather than give you a … More No. 8: Frenemies

The Literary Stick No. 7: Damsel in Distress? So two things are happening in today’s comic. One: I’m telling you about the character archetype of the damsel in distress. And B: I’m also giving you an example of an allusion. Let’s start with the damsel in distress. In old old literature, she’s essentially a girl … More No. 7: Damsel in Distress?

One of my favorite archetypes is the archetype of the hero’s journey. Many parts of the hero’s journey overlap with the description of the hero, so I combined them (loosely) together. So here’s what you need to know about heroes (and you can apply this to SOOO many stories that aren’t dystopian action/adventure. Seriously. Take … More No. 6: The Hero (and the Journey)

This archetype is the conflict between father and son. The conflict often comes from childhood separation – the son does not grow up with his father and thus feels abandoned by him. He also tends to be closer to his mentor figure than he is with his father. Sometimes, though, at the end of the … More No. 5: Daddy Issues